the history of christianity is a history of revivals by which the work of redemption has been advanced among men; there is all reason to suppose that it will be so to the end. men dream of the gospel advancing with even, [p. 95] steady pace to its triumph, without the vicissitudes of decline and revival but the thought finds ground neither in the bible nor in church history. the great revivals in the past have been epochs in which the christian world has risen to clearer apprehensions of divine truth and a higher elevation of christian life. they have constituted the divine process by which the gospel has burst through the errors and sins of men and has found a more complete development in the consciousness and life of the churches of christ.

no careful student of church history will undervalue revivals of religion. by it no means follows that a pastor is to seek success only, or chiefly, in these special manifestations of spiritual power. for a revival ordinarily supposes a previous declension, which it was the design of the ministry to prevent; for they are given “for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of the body of christ” (eph. iv. 12). fidelity and wisdom in the pastor may keep the spiritual forces in a church so inspired and organized that its life will not decline, but develop and strengthen, and its condition consequently be one of continual growth and progress. such is the fact in mr. spurgeon’s church. as one mingles in its assemblies and observes its manifold and thoroughly organized activities, the preaching and devotion, the spirit and life, resemble what is seen in a powerful revival of religion. the holy spirit is continually present, and there is no cessation in the work of conversion. toward this ideal a true pastor will be always working; and where it is attained a revival will mean, not a recovery from declension, but an acceleration in spiritual advancement and a mightier display of the spirit’s power in the conversion of men.

but in the ordinary manifestations of christian life religious [p. 96] declension is often a marked and painful fact, and the pastor should seek the best methods for promoting a revival.

here it is of primary moment to remember that a genuine revival is the result of the presence of the holy spirit: without him there may be excitement, but there can be no spiritual movement. it is “not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the lord” (zech. iv. 6). a deep sense of this is essential, and all thought and feeling should be turned to the invocation of his presence; but the spirit works through human agencies and according to the laws of the human mind. the use of appropriate means, therefore, is also essential.

here i suggest: 1. christian life in the people will seldom rise above the spiritual level of the pastor; it is, therefore, of primary moment that the minister’s own soul be “in the spirit”—humble, fervent, and believing. noise and zeal and declamation and management can be no substitute for the holy spirit in the soul. 2. as a revival of life in the church is ordinarily the condition of an awakening among the unconverted, the preaching at first should be specially adapted to search the experience and life of christians, and lead to increase in personal holiness and personal activity. the church is “the light of the world” (matt. v. 14), and the power of the gospel on the world depends on the clearness with which this light shines. 3. seek to promote faithful personal conversation on the part of christians with their unconverted kindred and friends. it is sometimes useful to organize committees to visit religiously from house to house in the congregation. it is obvious, however, that great care should be taken both as to the personnel of such committees and as to the method of their work. 4. meetings should be multiplied as the interest manifested will justify. continuous [p. 97] meetings concentrate attention on the subject of religion, fix impressions which otherwise might be evanescent, and lead to religious decision. the block may seem unaffected by a single blow, but a succession of blows on the same point cleaves it. 5. the mode of conducting special meetings must be determined by the existing indications of the spirit and providence of god. if gifts abound in the church, it is often better not to have additional preaching, but to continue social meetings, taking care to give variety, in their tone and form. if preaching is necessary, the question whether an evangelist is to be sought, or help obtained from neighboring pastors, or the pastor himself should preach, must be determined by the circumstances. all these methods have proved useful. if assistance is sought, care should be used to secure a man of right spirit and practical wisdom.

the question may arise: ought a series of meetings to be commenced when there is no special religious interest apparent? i reply: it seems to me that certainly equal reasons exist for the appointment of continuous meetings to awaken interest in the subject of religion, as for the appointment of such meetings to awaken interest in temperance, politics, or science. the same mental law is invoked in all such cases—viz., that continuous attention to a subject causes the mind to become interested and absorbed in it and rouses the will to act respecting it. now, as the holy spirit works in the soul, not contrary to the constitution god has given to the mind, but in accordance with it, the interest thus awakened by continuous attention to the religion of christ would seem to furnish the natural conditions for the spirit’s work. and as the gospel of christ is the most important subject to which the attention of men can be called, there would seem to be the highest reason for the application of this mental law by appointing [p. 98] continuous meetings in order to fix men’s attention upon it.

in protracted meetings, however, there are sometimes serious evils, which a pastor should carefully avoid. of these i mention: 1. a mere man-made excitement, in which the effort is rather to inflame the religious feelings than to enlighten and strengthen religious conviction. such an appeal to the emotional, apart from the rational, nature results ordinarily in a disastrous reaction in the direction of indifferentism and skepticism. many a field has been burnt over by these pseudo-revivals, and they constitute the most difficult fields for christian labor, because religion has thereby been put under contempt. 2. a protracted meeting entered on for secondary ends, as to pay off a church debt or to strengthen the position of an unpopular pastor. where a revival is sought without dominant regard to the glory of god and the salvation of souls, the effort is a failure. 3. a tendency to dependence upon protracted meetings to the disparagement of the ordinary means of grace. great care is needed to guard against this, as it is destructive to the tone and effectiveness of church-life. the pastor, in prayer and sermon, should be careful to keep prominent before the people, not the revival as the great hope of christian life and progress, but the right us of the usual, constant means of grace. some ministers habitually speak as if the work of god in conversion and sanctification were restricted to seasons of revivals, and the effect is pernicious. to avoid this false reliance on special services, it is well not to appoint them at any stated intervals, or to push them in any way into special prominence. 4. in the reaction which occurs after the extreme nervous tension of a protracted meeting, guard against relapse in the converts. in the life of a plant the period of greatest peril is when it is transferred from the [p. 99] hot-bed to the ground, for, missing the warmth and protection of the bed, and exposed to the cold and storms of the open field, it will inevitably droop and wither and die, unless carefully tended. the most difficult and arduous work of a pastor is after a revival in the care and instruction of converts, when the unusual stimulus to christian activity is withdrawn; and it is just here that the evils exist which are commonly charged on revivals and evangelists, but which in reality result from remissness in the pastor and church. the converts should be introduced at once into the sunday-school or bible class, and should be made personally acquainted, as far as possible, with the members of the church. where the number of converts is large, the pastor might privately request some judicious experienced members to give them special attention, quietly handing to each a list of those thus specially commended to his or her friendly notice and care. a place and a work for each of the converts should also be sought; this is very important to their comfort and development.